Electrical dehydrator



Dec. 29, 1931. w, VAN LQENEN 1,838,890

ELECTRICAL DEHYDRATOR Filed Got. 23. 1928 ws\ZZA Willa/7727.' lfd/7Lene/7.

Hita/weg Patented" Deo. 29, 1931 UNITED. [STATES PATENT AOFFICE WILLIAMr. vAN LoENEN, lor BUENA PARK, cALmonNIA, AssIeNoE 'ro PETROLEUMRECTIFYING COMPANY yor CALIFORNIA, or Los ANGELES, cALIr-onNIA, AconronA- TION OF GALII'OBNIA.

ELEeTnroAL DEHYDEATO'E.

Application mea. october as', 192s. semi No. 314,413.

My invention relates to the treatment of emulsions in order to separateVthe phases thereof, and it is a primary object of this invention toprovide a novel method and apparatus for breaking an emulsion.

Petroleum, as it comes fromthe well, is often associated with waterforming an emulsion which is usually of the water-and-oil l type.Electrical treatment of such petroleum emulsions is usuall 'effective in.agglomerating the water partlcles into globulesof sufficient size thatthey will settle from the petroleum by the action 'of gravity. Suchtreatment in itself is, with certain types of oils,`ineifective, and ithas been found that Vby mixing a-'chemical modifying agent with theyemulsion prior to electrical treatment, this treatment is effective inseparating the phases. Such a modifying agent may be in the form ofsodium oleate, calcium oleate, ma esium oleate, ammonium hydroxide orvarious other materials, the controlling eachange the interfacialtension of the emulsion. This modifying agent may be either ture beingthat the modifying agent should water soluble or'oil soluble. Suchagents .have been heretofore mixed with the emul sion before thisemulsion entered the dehydrator.

It is an object of my invention to provide a method and apparatus fortreating an emulsion by mixing said emulsion with a modify- 1n agent -inan electric field. v

1s intimate intermixture of emulsion and treating agent I accomplish bythe use of an electrode in the shape of a Venturivtube, lthe emulsionbeing mjected intothe mouth thereof. l

It is an object of my-invention to introduce emulsion into a treatingspace between t'wo electrodes in such a manner that a moclllifying agentis intimately mixed therewit v a It-is a further object of my inventionto d' introduce emulsion, or emulsion and a modifying agent atreatingspace between a pair ofeletrodes by means of 'a passage through oneelectrode.

B -iniecti'ngzthe exmlsion itself, or the. emu ion vandfthe modifyingagent, into the mouth of an electrode having a throat which isrelatively smaller than the mouth, this electrode being submerged in abody of liquid containing the modifyin complish a recirculation of t 'smodifying agent through the electrode, thus effecting large economiesover previous methods, of mixing an emulsion and modifying agent,inasmuch as the modifying agentis recirv'culated until entirely used upto perform the ing upward in the tank 1() is a primary or' groundedelectrode 14 in the form of a pipe,

the upper end of which is threaded to re-I ceivea nozzle 15 having an aron 16 extending-downward over the perip ery of the electrode 14 a shortdistance. An annular dischargespace 17 is formed between the apron 16and the electrode 14, this space being in communication with theinterior of the electrode by a plurality of openin sY 18.

agent, I ac- ,55-

The nozzle 15 is adapted to 'scharge a mouth 20 ofa.v secondary or liveelectrode 21 in the form of a sleeve member which-is supported oninsulators 22 and 23 so as to sui-v round the primary electrode 14. Ihave shown this secondary electrode as composed of four sections, acenter section 24 having a skirt section 25 diverging downwardtherefrom, and a collar section 26 diverging up- Y ward therefrom.l Atop section 27 is secured to the upper end of the collar section 26 anddiverges' upward even more than the collar section. The collar section26k and to section 27 thus cooperate to form the mou 20 which is invcommunication with a throat 30 formed between the center section 24 andthe primary electrode 14. The space between the electrodes 14 and 21comprises a treating space 32 in which an electric field is set up by atransformer 33.

Communicating with the primary electrode 14 is an inlet pipe 35 whlchextends to a chemical-introducing means 36. This means including amodifying agent supply means which is in the'form of a shell 37 to whichemulsion is su plied by a pipe 38.

The shell 37 1s adapted to contain a. body of modif ing agent whichwill, when intermixed with the emulsion, change the interfacial ten#sion ofthe emulsion in a manner so that the, emulsion may be separatedinto its phases by 15 the electric field set up in the treating spacebetween the primary and secondary electrodes by means of the transformer33. The

y particularl construction of the chemical-introucing means136 is notapart `of this inven- .20 tion, this means being such that definiteamounts'of the modifying agent may be placed-'inthe intake pipe 35 alongwith the el'ulsion passing through the pipe 38. It sli'ould'beunderstood that it is not necessary to mi'x the modifying agent and theemulsion in the shell 37, the chemical-introducing means 36 being aproportioning device rather than a mixing device. l The emulsion andmodifying agent are forced through the pipe 35 under pressure and aredischarged into the treating space 32 formed between the primary andsecondar electrodes by means of the nozzle 15, thls emulsion andmodifying agent being direct- 35 ed downward along the outer surface ofthe primary electrode 14 into the mouth 20, this mouth and throatdefining a portion of the treating space.

' Not only'i's themodifying agent intermixed 40 with th-ernulfsiontosome extent when these materialspass through the nozzles, but inaddition I have found that' after passing -through the nozzle 15 themodifying agent and emulsion are further intermixed due to beingcirculated throu h the sleeve 2l, and at l the same time these sustances are subjected to the action of the electric field in thetreating space 32. The intense field itself apparently tends to cause afurther intermix- 55 ture of the modifying agent and the emulsion.

This combined mixing and treating action has proved very efficient, andis more effectiveV than a mixture of the emulsion and modify-- ing agentbefore introduction into the tank 10. This is probably due to the veryintimate mixture that is made possible bythe nozzle 15. As the emulsionairdtreating agent pass downward through tlitreating space 32 they aresubjected to. the action of the electric field from the timethey enterthe treating space until they are discharged from the lowerA end of thesecondary electrode 21. This field 4agglomerates the water `particlesinto masses of suicient size so that these water particles will readilyseparate from the retube, said maining dry oil, the water particlesfollowing avpath indicated by the arrows 50 and dropping to the lowerportion of thetank 10 whence they are removed through the pipe 12. Thedry oil particles, together with the modifying agent, rise in the tank10, as indicated by the arrows 51. This rising action is caused by thedifference in specific gravities of the water and oil and also b thefact that the injector action which ta es place `when the emulsion isintroduced into the ing a complete separation of the water therefromshould any minute particles of water remain in the oil passing upwardaround the Isecondary electrode. Secondly, this oil is of highdielectric strength and provides a uid envelope inside the secondaryelectrode 21 which prevents short-circuiting of the electrodes. Third,any of the modifying agent capable of further action onv the emulsion inbeing recirculated may again react with the emulsion issuing from theprimary electrode 14, thus insuring the maximum action from eachparticle of modifying agent.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of separating the phases of an emulsion, which comprises:introducing an emulsion into an electric field in such a Way as tointimately mix said emulsion with a modifying agent capable ofchangingthe interfacial tension of the emulsion; and recirculating the mixtureof said emulsion and said modifyingagent through said field.

2. In combination: aprimary electrode; a secondary electrode in theshape of a Venturiprimary electrode extending through saidsecondary'electrode; means for intro ucing a modifying agent into theemulsion to be treated; and discharge means for jetting said emulsionand said modifying agent into thehft'rgati'ng space between saidelectrodes in a nianhrinto intimatelyintermix said emulsion andsaidagent.

'3. -A `combination as defined in claim 2in which said primary electrodeis hollow and in which said discharge means comprises a nozzlecommunicating with the interior of said primary electrode. v

4. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said primary electrodeis hollow and in which said discharge means comprises a nozzleAcommunicating with the interior of said primary electrode and directingsaid mixed therewith into that portion of saidy electric field which isof highest intensity, said modifying agent being capable of changing theinterfacial tenson of said emulsion.

GQ In a dehydrator, the combination of: a tank; means for establishingan electric field inside said tank; nozzle means directed into saidelectric field; a fluid supply means for supplying the fluid to betreated; a proportioning device receiving a modifying agent capable ofacting upon said fluid and receiving fluid from said supply means andsupplying these materials to said nozzle means in definite proportionswithout intimately intermixing them, whereby an iintimate mixturethereof is accomplished when discharge from said nozzle means takesplace.

v7. A process of treating an emulsion which includes the steps of:introducing comingled proportional parts of emulsion, and a modifyingagent capable of changing the interfacial tension of said emulsion intoan electric field, said emulsion and said modifying agent being notintimately mixed; and intimately intermixing said emulsion and saidmodifying agent in said field.

8. A includes the steps of: recirculating through lan electric field amodifying agent ca able of modifying the interfacial tension o saidemulsion; and introducing the emulsion to be treated into sad field in amanner to intimately therein.

9. A process of treating an emulsion, which yincludes the steps of:recirculating through an electric field a modifying agent capable ofmodifying the interfacial tension of said emulsion; and introducing astream v of liquid into said field in a manner to intimately intermixwith said modifying agent,

said liquid comprising proportioned parts of emulsion and said modifyingagent whereby the modifying agent in said electric field is continuouslyrenewed.

10. Ina treater,the'combination of: a tankl containing a body offliquid;,a sleeve member A mounted to extend in said body of liquid; nozzlemeans at one end of said sleeve and directed axially with respectthereto; and means for pressurally vsupplying proportionedA and notintimately intermixed parts of emulsion and an agent capable ofmodifying the interfacial tension ofsaid emulsion,

process of treating an emulsion which intermix with said modifying agentsaid means comprising a proportioning means forcontrolling lthe relativeamounts of said modifying agent and said emulsion supplied t'o saidnozzle, the injector action of said nozzle drawing a portion of saidliquid in said tank into said sleeve member whereby a mixture of saidliquid, said emulsion, and said modifying agent takes place in saidsleeve member.

11. A combination as defined in claim l0 in which said sleeve is in theform of a Venturi tube providing a throat and a mouth, the throat beingof smaller cross-sectional area than the mouth, said nozzle meansdischarging into said mouth.

1Q. In a treater, the combination of: a tank definining 'a settlingspace containing a liquid; nozzle `means directed into said tank; asupply pipe for conducting liquid to said nozzle means; emulsion supplymeans communicating with said nozzle means; and a proportioning meanscommunicating with said supply pipe for supplying thereto, and ina'predetermined proportion with respect to the amountpf emulsion, amodifying agent capable of changing the interfacialtension -of saidemulsion but not intimately intermixed therewith. In testimony whereof,I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 17th day ofOctober, 1928.

' WILLIAM F. VAN LOENEN.

